7/04/2008 - Engineering company Downer EDI Ltd will provide Western Australia's major electricity supplier, Western Power, with resources for the future transmission and distribution infrastructure of its south-west interconnected system.
Downer has formed an alliance with Western Power and Tenix Alliance to design, engineer, supervise, build and commission all transmission and distribution infrastructure allocated to the alliance.
Western Power transmits electricity to the south-west interconnected system of WA, a catchment including metropolitan Perth.
Population growth and the booming mining industry has spurred demand for electricity in the state.
Prior to the alliance, Western Power, a wholesale and retail power distributor, contracted out the construction of power stations and distribution methods, like overhead power lines.
Now, that responsibility will be overseen by Downer EDI Engineering and Tenix Alliance, with Western Power maintaining responsibility for maintenance and fault repairs.
Downer EDI chief executive Geoff Knox said the alliance would help rectify the rift between a growing labor skills shortage in Western Australia and a growing power demand.
"The alliance is an example of how the needs of communities will be increasingly met into the future through more efficient business models," Knox said.
"(The alliance) will enable faster and more cost effective development of infrastructure."
The alliance begins on Friday and will run for five years, with an additional five year option.
Within the alliance, Downer EDI Engineering, the engineering wing of Downer EDI, and Tenix Alliance have formed a joint venture to consolidate their respective expertise in transmission and distribution.
Source: AAP NewsWire
